Wilson not a priority for Dodgers

The Dodgers might one day have Jack Wilson as their shortstop. But not right now, and it's still a long shot.

For one, their strong preference is to have Rafael Furcal back in L.A. Before trading for Wilson, who can't hit or run with a healthy Furcal, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti would have to be convinced Furcal was going to Oakland, the Dodgers' main competition for him, or elsewhere. Colletti likely will wait that out first. Edgar Renteria signed with the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals traded for Khalil Greene on Thursday, eliminating two potential shortstop suitors in one day.

Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, is in Venezuela (presumably touching base with his other high-end free agent, Francisco Rodriguez) through Friday night. He probably won't reconnect with Colletti before he returns.

Then Colletti would have to be convinced Wilson, a high-energy player whose offensive production has dipped since he won a Silver Slugger award in 2004, would be dramatically better than other options. Problem is, there aren't many options internally. Chin-lung Hu has yet to prove he can hit big-league pitching and highly regarded prospect Ivan DeJesus is at least one full year from a major-league job.

Hu, in fact, has been mentioned as part of a package that would go to Pittsburgh for Wilson. Backup outfielder Delwyn Young is also on the table. Colletti might part with both of them provided the Pirates picked up most of the guaranteed money still owed Wilson ($7.85 million).

The other team in the mix for Wilson is the Detroit Tigers, which lost (threw) Renteria to free agency. Wilson, however, can block a trade to the Tigers, who also want Pittsburgh to eat most of his contract.